President Aliyev, Slovak President Pellegrini Hold Expanded Talks in Shusha

Shusha, The Gulf Observer: President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and President of the Slovak Republic Peter Pellegrini held an expanded bilateral meeting in the city of Shusha on Monday, reaffirming their commitment to strengthening cooperation across a range of sectors and advancing the strategic partnership between the two countries.

Welcoming the Slovak President and his high-level delegation to Azerbaijan and the Karabakh region, President Ilham Aliyev expressed satisfaction with the continued momentum in bilateral relations following his official visit to Slovakia last year. He said the size and composition of both delegations reflected the broad scope of the bilateral agenda and the shared determination to deepen cooperation in areas of mutual interest.

President Aliyev noted that the leaders had already held productive one-on-one discussions and expressed confidence that the expanded talks would further enhance the partnership between Azerbaijan and Slovakia.

Describing it as a special honour to host the Slovak delegation in Karabakh, President Aliyev highlighted the region’s reconstruction as one of Azerbaijan’s top national priorities. He praised the involvement of Slovak specialists in rebuilding efforts, particularly the development of a smart village project being implemented by a Slovak company, calling it a strong symbol of the close ties between the two nations.

Slovak President Peter Pellegrini thanked President Aliyev for the invitation and described his visit as an important step in further strengthening bilateral relations. Recalling President Aliyev’s historic visit to Bratislava, he said it marked a significant milestone in diplomatic ties between the two countries.

President Pellegrini also expressed appreciation for the decision to hold the meeting in Shusha rather than Baku, saying the Slovak delegation was impressed by the rapid reconstruction and infrastructure development carried out in Karabakh since its liberation.

He noted with pride that Slovakia is among only two foreign countries participating in major reconstruction projects in the region and expressed hope that Slovak experts would continue contributing to future development initiatives in Azerbaijan.

The two leaders reviewed the progress of bilateral cooperation and discussed opportunities to expand collaboration in infrastructure, reconstruction, economic development and other areas of mutual interest.

Following the meeting, Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Peter Pellegrini exchanged gifts, underscoring the friendly relations and growing partnership between Azerbaijan and Slovakia.